As governor, he led Colorado to establish regulations for legalized marijuana for recreational use, even though he disagreed with voters approving the measure in 2012. But he told CNN in 2018 he was not against re-criminalizing it.

Signed gun-control bills that limited the size of magazines to 15 rounds and established universal background checks.

According to a Denver Post biography, Hickenlooper’s supporters and detractors both say “his greatest success was in getting opposing sides to sit down and negotiate compromises on policy matters.”